Fox Valley Tents & Wheels
- Family Camping Club -
Elgin, Illinois

F.A.Q. and History

Q:    How was FVT&W begun ?
A:    A simple conversation among friends was all it took to set the seed for the club.
        Sitting around a campfire and talking about how there was a shortage of clubs for
        families camping in popups and tents - one thing led to another -
        and the idea of the club was formed and had begun. We began in July of '98 with
        4 families and have grown to 11 in our first year.

Q:    Why did FVT&W choose to affiliate with an international organization like FCRV ?
A:    Tom felt that an established, formal organization had more to offer our new club.
        We could take advantage of events and programs already in place in FCRV.
        FCRV also provides Liability Insurance, free of charge, to it's Chapters.

Q:    Why FCRV, instead of an other organization ?
A:    First - Tom had already been a member of an FCRV Chapter (Des Plaines Valley -
        the first FCRV Chapter formed in Illinois). He had seen the support offered by the
        organization at the State and National levels. He knew of the benefits FCRV would
        provide to a new club.

Q:    How far does your membership area extend from Elgin ?
A:    At the present time our farthest member family resides in Peoria - About 80 miles away.

Q:    What classification of camping does your club promote ?
A:    Our membership is focused toward popup and tenting families, but anyone else is welcome.
        We do have one member family that has a motor home. AND - We would never 'kick out'
        a family simply because they decided that a rig with canvas was no longer desirable
        for their family.

Q:    What area do you utilize for camping weekends.
A:    We try to stay within a 2 hr drive from Elgin. This keeps us within the Northern Illinois /
        Southern Wisconsin for most of our campground selection options. We utilize weekends
        for FVT&W camping and don't want to spend our entire weekend driving.

Q:    What type of campgrounds does FVT&W use ?
A:    Due to the necessity of having to make reservation as a group, we mostly use private,
        commercial campgrounds. We have gone as a group to State Campgrounds, but it
        takes more to organize due to the typical policies of State Campgrounds to take only
        individual family reservations.

Q:    I'm not sure my family would enjoy a group camping club. How do I find out if it's for us ?
A:    FVT&W will always be pleased to have your family join us as guests for a weekend, day,
        dinner or campfire. Just drop us a note or call to find our present schedule. We never pressure
        families to join, but how can you tell if you'll enjoy group camping if you don't give it a try ?

Q:    What are the financial requirements of FVT&W membership ?
A:    We have expenses to cover so we do collect dues. A new family coming into the club for the first
        time is expected to pay a $20.00 initiation fee and annual dues of $18.00 (pro-rated by month
        according to the fiscal year - against the month of joining.) $6 of your annual dues goes to the Illinois
        State Organization (I.S.A). It provides a newsletter and a multitude of statewide programs that are
        available to our membership. Being an Chapter of FCRV - there is also a requirement for a new
        family to belong to the FCRV National Organization. FCRV dues range from $25/yr for a single year
        - to $48 for 2 year - $69 for 3 yrs - to $400 for a lifetime membership. These FCRV dues go to
        supporting the National Organization and their programs. Unlike some 'other' camping organizations
        - FCRV has a minimal, mostly volunteer staff so very little of your FCRV dues go to paid 
        management.



Do you have more questions ???
Drop us a line or gives us a call, and we'll be more than pleased to answer them ...
You can choose your own method of contact by Clicking -> HERE<-
.
Close this window to return to FVT&W's Homepage